This invention relates to a solid fuel cooking device, and more particularly to a hollow-walled solid-fuel-burning grill having improved means for starting, stopping, and maintaining the combustion of solid fuel within the combustion chamber, while keeping the exterior of the grill relatively cool.
Prior solid-fuel-burning grills have utilized gas burner tubes as starters for logs with little success. The problems stem from the positioning of the burner tubes. Typically, these tubes have been placed centrally below the combustion chamber of the grill. Consequently, the openings in the tubes quickly become clogged with ash and drippings from the chamber and are thereafter abandoned as a method of igniting solid fuel. Without effective gas burner tubes it is common in the industry for cooks to ignite fuel either by a slower method such as the use of paper and kindling wood or by the use of various accelerants such as lighter fluid. The use of accelerants requires the cook to store the flammable material in the kitchen area where storage conditions are not ideal, and lead to various liability and insurance issues. Furthermore, cooks that rely on methods other than gas burner tubes for igniting the fuel are tempted to overbuild their fire so that they will not risk repeating the ignition process. Overbuilding leads to fuel waste and often requires the cook to douse the fuel with water to regulate the temperature of the overbuilt fire.
From a practical standpoint, previous solid-fuel-burning grill designs have suffered from the dual problem of inefficient fuel consumption and unwanted heat retention. Many current solid-fuel-burning grill designs have fire brick interiors where it is necessary to warm up the grill for approximately two hours before the grill heats evenly. Likewise, when the grill is no longer needed for cooking, a lengthy wait is necessary to cool the grill to a safe temperature to be left unattended. An additional drawback to these solid wall designs is that heat is conducted through the walls of the burning chamber and the exposed exterior of the grill is heated to unsafe temperatures during the course of the cooking period. Because the grill is imperceptibly hot cooks may be burned by touching the exterior of the grill, and the grill may not be placed adjacent to walls due to the potential fire hazard.
Finally, in commercial solid-fuel-burning stoves it is necessary to let the fire burn out at the end of the night and to leave a vented hood operating to blow the smoke from the restaurant. The fire brick interior walls of the stoves preclude completely dousing the fire with water. Burning out the fire requires someone to either remain at the restaurant to tend the fire or to leave the fire unattended overnight. Neither option is ideal, and again, places the owner/manager of the restaurant in the difficult situation of weighing convenience versus liability. In addition fuel is wasted in the burn-out process.
As such, a need exists for a solid-fuel-burning grill capable of being easily started by igniting gas jets, while also providing an efficient manner in which to terminate the cooking session. The present invention provides an efficient solid-fuel-burning grill, and keeps the exterior of the grill at a safe temperature.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a solid-fuel cooking device including a combustion chamber bounded by an open upper side and being substantially closed on four lateral sides, the lateral combustion chamber sides being double walled. These double walled sides are constructed with open bottoms and air space that permits air to enter from the bottom and then as the air warms, to vent into the upper portions of the burning chamber. This continual flow of air within the double wall prevents the outer walls from overheating. In addition, in the lateral sides of the stove, not bearing a door, a third wall may be added in between the inner and outer walls to provide an even greater cooling/insulation effect.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a solid-fuel cooking device having shielded natural-gas jets mounted horizontally on the interior of the combustion chamber for quick, safe, and efficient ignition of the solid-fuel.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a solid-fuel cooking device having a timer connected to a solenoid to control the burn time of the natural-gas jets.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a solid-fuel cooking device with rotatable and removable combustion chamber doors to provide access to the combustion chamber and to permit easy cleaning.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a solid-fuel cooking device that quickly reaches suitable cooking temperatures while using a minimum amount of fuel, and can be quickly extinguished to prevent the waste of fuel.